Aknowledge
by Jez0209
Summary: They were neither friends nor lovers; they were just two people who knew they loved each other, but didn't dare to aknowledge it.


_**This little piece came out of nowhere. It started as a line that I wrote because I didn't want to forget it, and then it just went on. **_

_**I hope you like it!**_

**Aknowledge**

Mako had been particularly quiet that day.

"Silent" was a word that could relate to Mako, but not quiet, never quiet; at least not around him.

When Raleigh woke up that morning, Mako was nowhere to be seen. He had reached out for her side of the bed only to find it empty. Disconcerted, he got up and wandered around the room and then the apartment to see if she was somewhere. He found her standing next to the kitchen counter, all dressed up and ready to leave. She had a cup of coffee between her hands and a pensive expression on her face.

-You are going out?- he asked her groggily; the question coming out a little more desperate than he originally intended, and she turned her head to look at him at the sound of his voice.

-Yes.- she said. Her reply was simple, unlike her, and Raleigh thought it was time to start getting worried.

-I'll be… around.- he told her. He felt stupid immediately after those words left his lips.

Mako nodded and walked out the room. It was as if she had been waiting for him to show up so she could leave. He heard the door closing shortly after.

Raleigh let out a heavy breath that he didn't know he had been holding. She had been acting weird since the day before, and he had his suspicion why. The prior day, they had gone to get some breakfast to a place near their apartment. Everything was perfect, normal. They chose a table, sat and talked about everything and anything, but then, Mako's face changed abruptly, her delicate features perturbed by an expression that Raleigh hadn't quite known how to read until he turned around and saw what was that in which Mako's eyes were fixed. It was a father with his young daughter. Raleigh figured that it reminded her of Pentecost and her.

Putting a hand on top of one hers, Raleigh had asked her then if she wanted to leave, and she had said "no," assuring him that she was ok and that they –father and daughter, were not the reason of her sudden lapse. He didn't realize until later how much that encounter had affected Mako.

They had walked home in utter silence, and Mako spent the rest of the day trying to distract herself doing little nothings. At all times, she had looked absent-minded.

He had decided not to worry. He had thought that she just needed some space, and now, he regretted thinking that way.

As he looked through the window and watched Mako walking away, he was invaded by the sudden urge of following her, pull her to him and hold her until she told him what was really wrong.

He would wait, but if he waited there, he would probably drive himself crazy.

Walking down the streets of Tokyo didn't prove to be any better than waiting at home; it made everything actually worst. Looking at shop windows that contained fragments of Mako's identity only made him think of her for every step he took.

The reason why he had chosen to settle in Japan had always been Mako. He had wanted her to have the life that the Kaiju War had refuse to her.

Raleigh had already made up his mind about going back to Alaska and stay there for a while when Mako announced to him that she wanted to go with him; the way she had looked at him after telling him that –all determined with a hint of defiance, let him know that she had made her mind as well.

He had been playing around with the idea of asking her to come with him, but hadn't found the right words to tell her; after all, how could he explain that burning desire he had of being close to her.

Her surprising announcement made things easier for him.

She had told him once, that he was everything she had in the world, and she was everything he had too. Japan had simply come out as the natural choice for them to start over.

Mako was home when he returned. He knew because of her shoes neatly placed at the entrance. Raleigh took his boots off and placed them carefully next to Mako's shoes. Everything was deadly silent. He didn't like that at all; it felt like the prelude to something that he wasn't quite sure if it was good or bad. He tossed his keys recklessly on the dining room's table and quietly made his way to the bedroom; something told him she was there. He wasn't wrong. He opened the door slowly and entered. The curtains from the big window in front of the bed were completely open, filling the room with light and illuminating Mako's inert frame. She was lying on her side; her breathing evened. Raleigh got worried; it was very early for her to be on bed and he couldn't think of a good reason that would make the restless Mako want rest. Maybe she was sick. He approached her and reached out for her face, placing a hand gently on her forehead, searching for any sings of fever; nothing. She opened her eyes when she felt the contact, and found a pair of blue eyes staring at her worriedly.

She said nothing, just moved over as a silent invitation for him to lie down with her. He did so, and Mako snuggled up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Raleigh's body tensed unwittingly. It was the first time ever they had been that close; they had never dared to invade the other's personal space. They had been living together for a few months, not like friends, but not like lovers. They shared a bed –he slept on the left, she on the right. They would hug. She would kiss him on the cheek; he would kiss her on the temple. Knowing smiles and glances, ginger touches; he would grab her hand to lead her places, but nothing more. They were two people who knew they loved each other but didn't dare to acknowledge it.

They had their reasons. She feared his love for her was only a side effect of the Drift, and he feared that she didn't love him as much as he loved her. They were both wrong and deep down inside, they knew it, but it was simpler that way. No risk of broken hearts. However, they both feared that one day one of them would grow tired of the situation and leave. That was what had been worrying Raleigh all day.

Raleigh put his arms around her, and prepared himself for whatever was to come.

-I went to see Marshall Hansen.- she told him softly. He could feel her hot breath against the side of his neck -He offered me a job. They are building new Jaegers as a preventive measure, and he wants me to supervise it.- Raleigh listened to her every word attentively. Nothing in her voice betrayed something was wrong, and he felt as if some sort of weight had been just lifted from his shoulders.

-Preventive measure?- he asked her.

-Apparently, Newt has been having some… visions,- she said for lack of a better word -and he says that this time it won't be that long before we hear of Kaijus again.

-We'll be ready.- he assured her.

-Herc wants you back too, training new pilots.

-What did you tell him?

-Not know.- Mako replied, echoing some of the words she had told the Marshall earlier -I told him we needed this; that we needed this time away from all the madness.

-Did you actually use the word "madness"?- he asked her and that a elicited a small laugh from Mako.

-Did I do good?- she asked him, referring to what she had told Herc.

-Using the word "madness"?- he asked playfully -You know me better that I do.- he replied -What did he say?

-He told me that he already knew what my answer would be, and that he also knew that we would go back when we were ready.

-He knows us better that we do. Maybe one of us should drift to him.

-I like my co-pilot.- she told him, and tighten her grip on him subconsciously.

-I like mine too… maybe too much.- he admitted quietly. He looked down at Mako; his eyes full with devotion. She was looking at him too.

Staring into each other's eyes, they both realized that all their fears had been unfounded. He brought his face closer to hers and pressed a soft kiss on her lips, then pulled away to see her reaction; there was just the slightest glint of surprise in her eyes.

-You worry too much Raleigh Becket.- she half-whispered, placing a hand on his cheek reassuringly.

Raleigh smiled lightly and leaned forward to kiss her. He kissed her slowly, tenderly, enjoying every bit of it, just like he had always wanted their first kiss to be.

-Your timing hasn't improved.- Mako said mid kisses.

-Is it a good thing or a bad thing?- he asked her, and she felt him smirk in the kiss.

-It's a good thing.- she told him, and pulled him closer.

They kissed the night away, making up for all the time they'd wasted. They were neither friends nor lovers; they were just two people who knew they loved each other and had finally dared to acknowledge it.

**Thanks for reading. Reviews welcomed.**


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